The owner of a hundred acres of untouched ranch — former state MP Chris Doworth attempted to build the controversial MegaDevelopo River Cross in 2018 — is asking the Seminoles to buy property for conservation.
“It will be a milestone for Seminole County to protect this property,” said Charlesley, advocacy director for Audubon, Florida.
The Clayton family has long owned 669 acres, officially known as the High Oaks Ranch, but sometimes listed as High Oaks. The land is hidden between the Econlock Hatchee River and County Road 419. It’s just north of the Orange County Line.
“We love the land and the animals,” said Jonathan Clayton, who helps coordinate the sale of family property. “But we love people more, and we want the wealth to benefit people.”
The family submitted an application to the County Advisory Board asking Seminoles to purchase land under the Seminoles for the Seminoles under the Seminole Forever program.
It is not yet clear what the family will charge for the property, and whether the county can afford it. The purchase price for the failed 2018 transaction was $35.5 million.
Clayton on Thursday said the family plans to promote the land “on the open market.” This means that it is not off the table for developers to buy it, and they have not yet set a asking price.
“It’s a great asset,” he said. “If the county is interested, they certainly have to pay a fair price.”
It was filled with wildlife such as crocodiles, gopher turtles, white-tailed deer, bobcats and wild boars. Environmentalists, conservationists and rural residents have long said that High Oaks’ land is worth preserving as its proximity to the environmentally sensitive Econlock Hachie River and its proximity to the Osceola, Orange and St. John’s River.
“It’s just untouched,” said Nancy Harmon, an environmentalist and nearby resident for over 30 years. “It’s a river buffer. Wildlife is attracted to the river. They need to go there. They need to go there for the water.
“We’re talking about hundreds of acres of acres that provide the ecological balance that the area needs. It would be ridiculous that the county won’t try to get it.”
Seminole commissioner Lee Constantine didn’t want to comment yet on whether the county should buy High Oaks.
“Obviously, High Oaks will be awards for a number of reasons,” Constantine said. “But at 669 acres it’s very difficult to buy everything in one go. Maybe you’ll need to buy it in parts or sections.”
He said the county could partner with Florida, the state’s land acquisition program, forever. “There are many ecological benefits,” he added.
Hi-Oaks is sitting in an area facing increased development pressures, buyer advocates said. Less than three miles from the fast-growing university on its Central Florida campus, it is close to Orange County and faces challenges in urban sprawl.
The development of Hi-Oaks would certainly face opposition as East Seminole residents have long been fiercely protecting the county’s rural boundaries.
The land is within boundaries approved by its voters. There, development is limited to one home per five acres. It would require the vote of a super majority of the four county commissioners to carve the property from the country boundaries for development.
In 2017, River Cross Land Co., a Doworth company, signed an agreement to purchase Hi-Oaks. He then submitted plans to remove Hi-Oaks from the countryside boundaries and build a Meguard development for 600 detached houses, 270 townhouses, 500 apartments, and 1.5 million square feet of shops, restaurants and offices.
However, at its August 2018 meeting, the committee unanimously refused the River Cross.
Charlie Clayton Sr. and his cousin W. Malcolm Clayton purchased High Oaks in the mid-1980s. At the time it was filled with wood, but Clayton was harvested over the years. Since then, Clayton has used the land to hunt, camp and watch wildlife. Today, most of them are used to raise grass-fed cows.
The Claytons also owned a 233-acre site west of the Econlock Hachie River, which Seminole purchased for $3.5 million in 1994 for storage. Today we’re in the Econ River Wilderness area, a county park with trails for hiking, cycling and horse riding, outside Old Rockwood Road.
Advocates of the purchase for protection said Hi-Oaks could be an extension of its public areas.
Over the past 40 years, Clayton has signed numerous contracts with Hi-Oaks developers, including Rivercross.
But the Claytons application states, “every time the surrounding neighbours and environmental groups vehemently oppose the development of the property.”
Hi-Oaks is one of nine applications submitted for properties to purchase under the Seminole Forever program.
On April 15th, the program’s seven-person advisory committee (Acquisition and Repair Committee or ARC) ranks nine applications, including Hi-Oaks. Standards include vulnerability to development, diversity of species and habitats, connections with other conservation sites, potential use of passive recreation or education, whether to provide flood protection, and whether to protect aquifers and public interest.
The ARC will send recommendations to the commissioner to determine which assets to fund by purchasing funding sources such as grants and partnering with Florida. The county dedicated its $320 million in general funding budget (approximately $5 million a year) to the Seminole Forever acquisition fund.
Hi-Oaks “is certainly one of the important assets to consider,” said Paul Owens, president of 1,000 friends in Florida. “I believe that committee members weigh the factors and make good recommendations.”
Original issue: April 4, 2025 5am Edit
